One for the Road
by StarbuckJayne
Summary: Does anyone else miss those "Mulder and Scully on a case" style moments?


One For the Road  
By Starbuck_Jayne  
Starbuck_Jayne@mulderandscully.co.uk  
  
Rating: PG but you know I'm not very good   
with ratings!  
  
Spoilers: Arcadia, Hollywood AD but very   
minor spoilers!   
  
Keywords: MSR  
  
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this   
story belong to me I am just borrowing them   
for a while. They belong to Chris Carter,   
1013 and Fox.  
  
Archive: Anywhere at all just please keep   
my name and e-mail attached, but no flames   
please I'm way too delicate!  
  
Summary: Does anyone else really miss those   
"Mulder and Scully on a case file" moments?  
  
Feedback: On my knees and begging for it.  
  
Author's Notes: Well, I'm not so sure when   
this is set, probably in a time like the one   
between Je Souhaite and Requiem, but a few   
years in the future. Mulder and Scully have   
two children and aren't on the run. I was   
just watching Bad Blood and started thinking   
about the good old days :)  
  
One For the Road  
  
Starbuck_Jayne  
  
It was funny that she didn't remember being   
drunk within the past twenty-four hours, and   
yet that seemed the only plausible   
explanation for how she managed to be   
sitting in the passenger seat of Mulder's   
car in the middle of nowhere.   
  
"I cannot believe I let you talk me into   
this!" She had to laugh at herself; it was   
either that or question her sanity. Mulder   
smiled as he played with the radio. He'd   
promised her it would be romantic, like a   
second honeymoon if only they'd had a first.  
  
"This is where I bring all the laydees...are   
you implying that's not normal?" Mulder   
feigned shock before abandoning the radio   
project and stretching his arms behind his   
head.  
  
"So run this by me one more time. We're out   
on a deserted highway in the middle of the   
night because..."  
  
"It's haunted."  
  
"Haunted, of course."  
  
"Come on, Scully? What did you expect?" He   
laughed, "Besides, you didn't have to come."  
  
"So I'm going to let you go off roaming the   
countryside, chasing your imagination by   
yourself am I?"  
  
"See, Scully, I knew you cared!"  
  
"You know, Mulder, this place is the site of   
one of the biggest natural iron ore   
resources in the country,"  
  
"Scully!" Mulder gave his partner the kind   
of look you might give someone who had just   
offered to flash you, or told you in great   
detail the kinds of things they wanted to do   
to you in bed.  
  
"What I'm saying, Mulder, is that the iron   
ore combined with the energy from overhead   
power cables will generate a huge magnetic   
field. High levels of magnetic flux in the   
temporal lobe have been known to cause   
strange visions."  
  
"Yeah, and did *you* know, Scully, that..."  
  
"That...?"  
  
Scully suddenly had the strangest feeling of   
deja vu- as if she was re-living the past   
ten years of her life in that one moment.   
It had taken her about eighteen months to   
convince William that eating things he found   
under the sofa wasn't a good idea, but she   
was still working on convincing Mulder that   
it wasn't healthy to spend 3/4 of your adult   
life pursuing childish dreams.  
  
She was rescued from the torment that would   
have been a deep and meaningful conversation   
into the origins of ghosts by the ringing of   
her cell phone.  
  
"Scully." She looked towards Mulder as she   
listened to the caller, causing her partner   
to shift slightly through apprehension.   
This left him supported by his elbow, which   
rested on the edge of the car window. "Ok,   
yeah, Mom, just make sure he gets plenty of   
sleep and tell him I'll see him tomorrow.   
You too, bye." Scully hung up the phone.   
"She thinks Will's got chickenpox," she   
said, assuming Mulder had worked out who   
she'd been talking to.  
  
"Is he ok?"  
  
"Oh yeah. Nothing that the promise of a few   
days off school won't fix."  
  
Mulder grinned.  
  
"You know, Scully, I never imagined being a   
dad."  
  
"I suppose no one does, really. I imagine   
you just think you'll spend your whole life   
being the child, and your own father will   
always be there, the real father figure."  
  
"I have to admit, Scully, I don't think I   
felt that "magical instant bond" after the   
birth."  
  
Scully coughed.  
  
"Mulder, you weren't there when Will was   
born, and you, erm, passed out during   
Katie's birth."  
  
"I didn't pass out...that floor was   
slippery!"  
  
They laughed. That strange formal laugh   
they seemed to have developed over the   
years. It was more a quick acknowledgement   
of the other's wit than genuine amusement,   
and it had got to the point where neither   
could remember the days of pre-FBI carefree   
laughter anymore. Scully grasped Mulder's   
fingers as they caressed her cheek and   
pulled them towards her lips.  
  
"This isn't like old times at all, Scully,"   
Mulder sighed, "I miss the FBI."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"No. I miss the typing pool though," he   
grinned in a way that earned him a half-  
hearted look of disapproval.  
  
"You tired, Scully?"  
  
"Nope," she yawned, covering her mouth with   
the back of her hand as she stretched.  
  
"Ok," Mulder nodded before turning to face   
her."  
  
"Shouldn't you be watching for ghosts,   
Mulder?"  
  
"Scully, we've known each other a long time,   
right?"  
  
"About ten years," she said, "why?"  
  
"And we've been together, what, four?" he   
said, ignoring her question."  
  
"Five," she rested her head on her left   
hand, "if you're counting Rob and Laura."   
Her attempt at humour went unnoticed, her   
husband's attention clearly elsewhere.   
Moments passed by and he didn't speak, so   
Scully sighed and offered him some coffee   
from a Thermos she'd brought. As a general   
rule, the pair didn't bring refreshments on   
a stakeout, mainly due to the fact that   
Scully always seemed to be on some sort of   
confusing diet, whilst her partner seemed   
able to stay alive on little more than   
sunflower seeds and beer. In this case,   
however, Scully had determined that she   
would need all the help she could get to   
avoid falling into a boredom-induced sleep.   
She sipped her coffee in silence, the creamy   
liquid seeping down her throat, leaving its   
bitter imprint on the back of her mouth.   
  
It was the distant screech of an owl that   
startled Scully from her reverie, the sound   
piercing the almost eerie silence that had   
engulfed the pair. At the same time she   
felt a small breath of icy air, and shivered   
in spite of herself. Mulder gave her a   
questioning gaze, but didn't speak. She   
returned the communication with a shrug   
before taking another sip of her coffee.  
  
"Ok, so what have I never asked you about?"   
Mulder was really scraping the barrel now as   
far as conversation went.  
  
"Mulder..." Scully chided him before   
suddenly breathing in sharply. "Oh! Did   
you feel that? It's freezing!" She   
exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, right, Scully!" Mulder laughed.  
  
"Mulder, are you saying you can't feel   
anything?"  
  
"I'm not sure I know what you mean, Agent   
Scully," Mulder's tone went unnoticed on his   
partner, who was moving for her gun. As   
this realisation dawned on him, his own hand   
touched the holster at his waist.  
  
"Mulder..."  
  
"I see them, Scully," Mulder rose and   
slipped out of the car, "kinda tempting to   
shout 'FBI!'" he muttered to his partner.   
  
Directly in front of the couple was the   
figure of a man, his back to them as they   
moved in from behind.  
  
"Careful, Mulder," Scully noticed that he   
was moving ahead of her, "he may be armed."  
  
"Yeah, and he may be dead."  
  
Scully rolled her eyes.  
  
"Sir?" She called to the stranger, "Sir,   
would you mind turning around?"  
  
The man appeared to be momentarily startled,   
and began to run towards the edge of the   
highway. Mulder and Scully followed, and it   
was moments before Mulder was within feet of   
their target. The road lurched suddenly to   
the left-a blind corner. The pair lost   
sight of the man for a matter of seconds,   
but by the time they had rounded the corner,   
he was gone.  
  
"Where'd he go?" Scully was slightly   
breathless-chasing criminals no longer being   
a major part of her day-to-day life. Mulder   
replaced his gun and shook his head.  
  
"Retreated to the next world?" He   
suggested. "Come on, Scully, let's go   
home." He put his arm around his wife, and   
they walked back towards the car. Scully   
had to wonder if maybe he was tiring of the   
paranormal investigator's lifestyle at last.   
In a weird way, she had to admit that she   
missed the stakeouts - sitting in the middle   
of nowhere, staring up at the stars because   
their conversation about genetic mutants and   
alien life forms had hit a dead-end. The   
stars were out in full that night,   
glittering jewels that adorned the dark sky,   
beautiful despite providing no light.   
Beautiful, but worthless.  
  
"You ok, Mulder?" She moved her head from   
its resting place on his shoulder and   
regarded him as closely as she could. He   
didn't answer, just gave her arm a gentle   
squeeze. "Leaving so early tonight," she   
laughed and raised her hand to feel his   
forehead. "Are you feeling ok?" She was   
shocked to find that the skin pressed   
against her hand was considerably higher   
than normal. "Geez, Mulder! You're burning   
up!" She exclaimed. "Come on, we'd better   
get home."  
  
"Ok, but I'm not sleeping on the sofa   
again."  
  
XXXXXXX  
  
"Mulder, it's just the chickenpox," Scully   
shook her thermometer, "no need for panic."  
  
"So much for bedside manner," Mulder tapped   
his doctor lightly on the hip.  
  
"Mulder, any more of that and you'll be   
watching that 'Lazarus Bowl' tape."  
  
The point was taken and Mulder raised his   
hands in defence.  
  
"Ok, now get some sleep," she bent down to   
kiss his forehead, before moving from her   
position on the edge of the bed. Sliding   
underneath the covers, she turned off the   
light. The room was plunged into a heavy   
darkness, the only light coming from a   
meagre shaft of moonlight that crept   
underneath the curtains. In the darkness   
Scully felt a pair of arms entwine   
themselves around her, and a small voice   
declare that he was "always very happy to be   
lying on top of her".   
  
XXXXXXX  
  
Thanks for reading! Feedback   
worshipped...no, seriously.   
:) 


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